The regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) sector, including age limits for vehicles, is a matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA) under the provisions of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013.
The NTA has extended age limits for taxis twice since the start of the pandemic. Following an initial extension in March 2020, last December, following public consultation, the NTA extended them further to the end of 2021. I trust that the NTA will keep this issue under active review as the pandemic progresses.
The Deputy may also be interested to know that, in Budget 2021 the Government has increased the funding available to the Electric SPSV (eSPSV) grant scheme from €1 million in 2020 to €15 million in 2021. In recognition of the particular difficulties faced by operators of older vehicles reaching the end of their useful life, the amount payable under the scheme has doubled to €20,000 for those operators who scrap older, high mileage vehicles for new full electric models. More information on the scheme can be found on the NTA website.
I understand that necessary public health restrictions have led to a continuing profound reduction in demand for taxis. There is a range of finance and liquidity supports available from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment for businesses affected by the pandemic, and many of these are open to taxi operators. Further information on these measures is available from that Department.
